Posts Tagged 'Jesus'

Homily – July 28th, 2024 – 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The story of the feeding of the multitude apparently is the only “miracle” story that’s common to all four gospels writers. However, John—our gospel writer today—prefers to use the word “signs,” over the word miracles. I think the reason he does this is that a miracle keeps you right where you are, in a place of awe, excitement and fascination. But a sign invites you forward into deeper reflection. It was the great philosopher Socrates, as you may recall, who ...

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Homily – July 21st, 2024 – 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus, no doubt, worked miracles. As a child, the first Biblical stories that stuck with me—and it’s probably true of you, too–were the stories of Jesus’ miracles. I would be fully content with skipping over his teachings just to get to the next story of a blind person seeing, a lame person walking, the calming of a storm, or the multiplication of the fish and loaves. Only as I got older did I realize the miracles of Jesus never stand ...

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Homily – July 14th, 2024 – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

I know some of you have been watching the series called “The Chosen.” It is, by far, the best portrayal of Jesus and his early followers I have ever seen. I’m watching it by the old fashion method of DVDs that I purchased. However, if you are able to access this series by going to The Chosen app or The Chosen website or even YouTube or Facebook or Netflix, it would be well worth your effort. Some episodes have even ...

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Homily – July 7th, 2024 – 14th Sunday in OrdinaryTime

If you were to wake me up at 3 o’clock in the morning by shining a flashlight in my eyes and asking me to name the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, I would probably only come up with one—courage (sometimes called fortitude). It’s the only gift I’ve ever wanted, but it seems to be the one that has eluded me the most.

I think of courage when I think of the three Scripture readings that we just heard proclaimed. To ...

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Homily – June 30th, 2024 – 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time

The late Fr. Henri Nouwen shared an encounter he had with a man who was dying in the hospital. The dying man said to him, “My whole life’s work was continually being interrupted until I finally realized that these interruptions were my life’s work.” We tend to think that in the past, life was less complicated, less multi-tasking, simpler and more trouble-free. People got up with the sun, when down with the sun, and didn’t start a second task until ...

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Reflection – June 30th, 2024 – 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Perseverance

The readings this Sunday have a focus on death. The first reading from the Book of Wisdom says that God neither makes nor delights in death. Mark’s Gospel talks about the impending and eventual death of Jarius’ daughter. Don’t tell Wayne, but I too have spent much time over the past year thinking about death.  On March 20, 2023, I was diagnosed with a meningioma tumor; on May 6 of this year, I was diagnosed with breast cancer; on June ...

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Homily – June 23, 2024 – Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

I recently had the opportunity to see the musical, The Lion King, in New York City. The animated movie came out 30 years ago in 1994, while the Broadway musical came out three years later in 1997 and has been playing there ever since.  Like Cats and Les Misérables, The Lion King is more than just entertainment; it has deep spiritual themes running through it. In the first act, the lion king, Mufasa, sing to his young son, Simba, a ...

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Reflection – June 23rd, 2024 – 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Said He Would Calm the Raging Sea

As a resident of Halifax in 2003 I had the dubious privilege of living through Hurricane Juan, a Category 2 hurricane which tore through parts of the Maritimes just after midnight on September 29th. Those of us living on the Atlantic Coast are familiar with hurricane warnings, but the severity of Juan was unusual and unexpected. Eight Nova Scotians lost their lives in the worst storm to hit Halifax since 1893. Even though I ...

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Homily – June 16th, 2024 – 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The gospel ends with, “Jesus explained everything in private to his disciples.” Oh, great. We’re going to get it all explained to us as well. No! Mark, the gospel writer tells us that Jesus explained everything to them, but he doesn’t tell us what Jesus told them. Thank you very much. Maybe some of us, who have to put homilies together, would like an explanation, a bone thrown in our direction once in a while.  

This is not the only ...

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Reflection – June 16th, 2024 – 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

A couple of weeks ago, our bishop, Archbishop Guy Desrochers, granted permission for us to reinstate sharing in the Blood of Christ at Mass. That was welcomed news to many who have been longing to drink from the Cup for the past four years, but because of Covid-19 were not able to. Through nobody’s fault, but through an abundance of caution, we were not able to fulfill Jesus’ command at the Last Supper when he said, “Do this in memory ...

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